Report urges minimum terms for murder

Judges should be allowed to impose minimum jail terms for murderers — including up to “whole-life sentences” — under plans drawn by the State’s legal advisory body.

The Law Reform Commission (LRC) also recommends the axing of the mandatory minimum 10-year jail term for drug dealers — a proposal backed by drug projects.

The LRC recommended a Northern Ireland-style system for murder cases, where recent sentences of 20-plus years, and as high as 35 years, have been handed down.